Welcome, Renee Vincent! [Contest]
Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid you felt as if it were real? Well, my heroine, Lorraine O’Connor, from my new release, THE FALL OR RAIN, has had them all her life. Ever since she could remember, she’s had dreams of a tall blond Viking Northman kissing her. However, the night before she’s about to leave the States to go to Ireland, her dreams take a turn for the worst.
For those of you who’ve read Ræliksen (Book 1 of the Emerald Isle Trilogy), you may feel a peculiar sense of familiarity. For those who’ve not started the series, you have no excuses not to start reading it now. The whole series is complete and available to read straight through.
I hope you enjoy this little snippet.
*Contest Alert* If you leave a comment for me, you’ll be entered to win any ebook copy of my back list (winner’s choice) Ræliksen, Mac Liam, or Silent Partner. Good luck!
Buy Links:
Amazon print / Kindle / Nook / Turquoise Morning Press / All Romance eBooks / Smashwords / Bookstrand
Blurb:
Leif Dæganssen, an archeologist from Norway, is determined to trace back his Scandinavian roots as far as the Dark Ages and find proof of their existence on the Emerald Isle. After several years of living off the west coast of Ireland, he finally uncovers an ancient artifact—an intricately decorated chest with pagan carvings—buried beneath the very porch of his coastal cottage. Knowing it only confirms the presence of a glorified Norse-influenced settlement on Inis Mór, he’s determined to establish a link between himself and those who once inhabited the rugged isle.
For as long as she can remember, Lorraine O’Connor has had dreams of a Norse warrior kissing her. And even though she’s never fully understood the reason for her vivid subconscious imagination, she welcomes the meaningless and wanton pleasure of being in a Viking’s protective embrace—until the day she meets that brazen Northman on an impulsive vacation trip to Ireland.
Though blindsided by the relevance of her dreams and the strange familiarity of the man within them, Lorraine can’t help but feel a deep-seated intimacy toward Leif. And the more she gets to know him, the more she’s convinced they’ve shared a life together in a time long forgotten.
Are the clues to their ancestral past hidden within the contents of the chest or buried deep within their hearts?
Excerpt:
“Who’s there?” Lorraine asked, peering into a dense row of hedges. She could’ve sworn she heard something, but no one answered. All she could feel was the cold hand of an innate fear grasping her. She didn’t have reason to be frightened, but she was. As she looked around, it only escalated. Her surroundings were familiar to her, but she knew she’d never stepped foot in this place before.
In front of her stood a thick forest of hardwoods and behind her ran a long winding river between miles of lush green meadows. Where was she?
Suddenly, a man leaped out of the bushes and pulled her to the ground. Without much effort, he stifled her screams with a simple hardened hand to her mouth, while his other hand matched her frantic squirming. His legs pushed hers to the ground and held them there like they were nothing but the meager limbs of a child.
Lorraine’s heart jumped in her throat, panic ensuing her every thought. She had no idea why this man grabbed her and held her down, but she refused to give in, to cower like a frail female and allow him to take advantage of her. She threw wide her mouth and bit the bulge of skin on his palm that lay across her lips.
He retracted his hand from her vengeful jaws and, in an instant, she catapulted her forehead into his nose, a maneuver she didn’t expect him to anticipate from a woman. He dropped his head, giving way to the blood that started to flow from both nostrils and down around his mouth.
Collapsing upon her, she cringed at the grotesqueness of his weight on her body and the stringing of his hair in her face. She thrashed beneath him, trying to slip away, but he was too heavy. He tightened his hold on her, grasping for strength as if his will to stay coherent were cinched around her very wrists.
He moaned and when she turned her head to avoid his bloody face, she saw an incredible sight—an accumulation of men, dressed in conical helmets and drab, woolen period clothing, with swords in their hands descending from dragon-prowed longships with red and white sails. For a second, she forgot about the man lying atop her, and gawked at the men—could she dare say Viking men—gathering on the shore of the river.
They looked menacing, to say the least, and the sheer sight of their immense numbers was enough to make her believe she was going to die at the hands of these men.
Where the hell was she that Viking warriors still existed? She had seen plenty of historical reenactments from various Renaissance festivals in Ohio, but these guys looked and behaved far too real to be actors.
Finally, the man lying upon her, lifted his head and regained her full attention. The severity of his pain still afflicted him and his nose continued to spew in rivers, of which she caught most on her dress. She could only guess he was trying to be considerate, for he wiped his upper lip on the bear cloak that hung from his shoulders.
He spoke to her. “I know you are frightened. But say not a word. Those men will hear you and they will kill us both.”
She looked at him, bewildered by his warning.
“I will not hurt you,” he whispered again, his beautiful blue eyes fixed on hers. For a moment, time stood still.
Though her body still trembled from his harrowing presence upon her, he looked as if he were remorseful for holding her down like some belligerent thug about to take his pleasures. With kinder eyes, he attempted to comfort her. “You must believe me. I will not hurt you. I give you my word.”
Lorraine was utterly confused by the viciousness of his actions and the contradiction of his noble words. She knew nothing about this man, nor did his pledge mean anything to her. She wanted to get away from him, no matter the cost.
Realizing he had loosened his hold, she brought her right elbow up to his nose again and hit it with such force that he yelled out.
Without delay, she pushed him off of her and plummeted…
Lorraine let out a scream as she hit solid ground, her head bouncing off the hardwood floor of her bedroom. Stunned, she looked around from her sprawled position. There was no one holding her down, no Vikings surrounding her, no blood on her clothes…just Captain, who had padded into her room and began licking her face.
She pushed him away and sat up, her mind still hung up on the man who had pulled her to the ground and lain on top of her. Though some things were a little fuzzy, one thing was for certain—he was the same ruggedly handsome, blond man who’d been visiting her in her dreams and leaving her with an unforgettable kiss. So, why did her dreams suddenly change? Why had he not gently kissed her, like she always enjoyed, and instead, resorted to man-handling her?
Not quite a fair trade, she thought.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.reneevincent.com
Blog: http://www.pasttheprint.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/reneevincentauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ReneeVincent
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3005290.Renee_Vincent
Deep In The Heart Romance: http://www.deepintheheartromance.com/
Posted on December 14, 2011, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 34 Comments.
Renee – your books sounds like something I’d love to read. Congratulations on it’s release. Thank you for the opportunity to enter your contest. I hope I win *smile*
Kaydeeroya at msn dot com
Thanks Kay Dee! I’m so glad you enjoyed the excerpt! Good luck to you, dear!
Hey Drea!!! Wanted to say how much I LOVE your site! You did a fabulous job with the redecorating! Very striking, my dear!
Thanks for having me here today. I am most honored.
Thank you my dear. Took three danged hours but I think I finally have it where I like it and am leaving it alone…for now!
Thanks for stopping by!
hahahh yeah I figure something will change eventually. And whatever you decide, I know it will look spectacular!
Hi Renee
Congratulations on your release! I wanted to thank you for the giveaway. I have added all your books to my tbr pile as they sound great just up my alley of reading. I am over from the Romancebooksrus group.
Hey Babs! Great to see you here. Thank you so much for stopping by and entering my contest! I am very flattered that my books are all on your TBR list. Good luck in the giveaway!
Renee, I am patiently trying to not be mad at you. Of course I had to email you and give you a ration of crap for leaving me hanging on your normal Wake Me Up Wednesday day BUT…this morning reading the scene between Leif and Lorraine had me fanning myself on the train.
You are forgiven…for now!
PS the Heat Mizer says you are NOT forgiven. Make sure you don’t cross his path anytime soon.
– smooches babe.
PPS, Any who is new to Renee’s work, you are really in for a treat and I don’t say that because I personally know her, I say it because each book is a page turner. These are the books you keep long after the other ones fade from memory.
Good Luck everyone!
Lizzie, you are so awesome! I cannot wait to hear your final thoughts on the trilogy! You better send me that email right away when you do finish it…what am I talking about. I should know better to than to think you wouldn’t contact me. hahahh
Luv ya bunches, Lizzie!
And one of theses days, I’ll be reading books! I just know it.
Congrats on the new release. Loved the blurb, and not want to finish reading it. Thanks for the chance to win. You are a new author for me and always looking for new books and authors to check out. Thanks for the giveaway.
Great to meet you Chris! I’m always so happy to run into new readers. Good luck in the contest and Merry Christmas to you!
Your books sound really interesting. Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks Joanne! Glad you could stop by today!
Oooooh this sounds amazing!!! Whether I win a copy or not, I will definitely be picking up this book! Thank you for the sneak peek!
Jackie, you’re words are music to my ears! I am so glad my books appeal to you. Happy reading and good luck in the giveaway! Hope you’ll send me your thoughts on the trilogy when you are finished.
Merry Christmas to you!!!
Loved the snippet! I haven’t read any of them yet but I’m looking forward to it. And can I just say YUMMM regarding the Viking.
Thanks for a chance in the giveaway. And send some love to A Lizzie Walker for giving me directions;)
Vikings are so addicting. Once you read one Norse romance, you gotta read them all!
Thanks for stopping by and glad you found your way! Good luck in the contest!
Enjoyed the excerpt. Thanks for the chance to win
Patricia
panthers.ravens@yahoo cot com
You are most welcome, Patricia! Thank YOU for coming by and reading it.
BTW, love your email address. If I did that, my email would say patriots.vikings@blahblah….
Good luck to you!
I loved MacLiam and I have looked forward to the release of Fall of Rain. I know it’s going to be a sensational book. I wish you great success with your new release.
Thank you so much Sarah! I’m very curious what you think of THE FALL OF RAIN…honestly, I can’t believe it’s all finished. Thought this day would never come.
Good luck in the contest!
Hi Renee,
Congratulations of your new release and final book in your trilogy!
Drea, I really like your site!
wiggiemd@gmail.com
Thank You Marilyn! I do it all myself so I love getting comments on it! And thanks for stopping by!
Thanks Mare! So glad to see you here too! I’m on cloud nine with this whole day and find myself ready to take on the night hours. haha
Merry Christmas to you and good luck!
Hi Renee I realy enjoyed your excerpt and your cover is gorgeous.Congratulations on your release .Happy Holidays to you and yours
flanagan@mebtel.net
Thanks so much Wanda! It’s nice to see another new face here. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my new release. Merry Christmas to you and your family as well!
Hey sweet lady,
I never get tired of following you around or shall I say stalking you, lol. You’ve done it again with another fantastic read I believe. If I said it once I will say it again. Your my ray of sunshine. Merry Christmas.
Teresa K.
tcwgrlup41(at)yahoodotcom
There’s my lady, Teresa! I was wondering if you were coming here. And no, I never feel you are stalking me. You are too great of a fan/follower to do that. Your smile and your hug will never leave my mind the day I met you at Lori Fosters.
Merry Christmas to you and good luck!
Hey Renee!
You are a new author to me but these books sound like they are right up my alley. Archeology has always been fascinating to me (when I was younger that is what I wanted to be) and to top it all off you have Vikings in the store also which are another favorite of mine to read about. Will definately be reading this series whether I win or not. Merry Christmas!
Rachel V.
pefrw(at)yahoo(dot)com
I love to meet new readers, Rachel, and it seems you are right up MY alley since you enjoy Vikings. I could talk all day about them…but I won’t today. I’ll spare you, dear. haha
Thank you so much for checking out my series and I do hope you enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. What’s not to love? There are two hot, brave heroes in love with the same woman and plot twists galore!
Merry Christmas to you and please keep in touch!
Congratulations on the release. The book sounds fantastic! Thank you for the great contest!
Mary
mary_reiss @ hotmail.com
Thank you so much Mary! I’m so glad you came by! Good luck to you!!!
I enjoyed the excerpt and look forward to reading your books.
ainfinger@comcast dot net
Why Thank you Andrea! It was great to meet you too! Merry Christmas to you and happy reading!